Ile valley. Kapchagai.

Ekpendy. On coming to colony of Grey Herons and Night Herons we saw the flying out Pheasants, both hens and cocks in total about one dozen birds. Pheasants flew from the dry meadow on which they fed to the reed thickets. Both Grey Herons and Night Herons already on the colony, some of them probably on the nests. Other birds we watched near the colony: Pied Wheatears, Kestrel, Tree Pipit, Chiffchaffs, Black-throated Thrush, Common Teal, pair of Turkestan Tits (one is probably hybrid with Great Tit), Turkestan Shrikes. On the midway between Ekpendy and Kyrbaltabai on the little marsh we watched three Common Redshanks and 4 Lapwings which will nest on this marsh. Then on the road to fish ponds in Akzhal we watched Green Sandpiper (on the roadside puddle), Kestrels, Pied Wheatears, Turkestan Shrike, one Isabelline Shrike, and the large flock (about one thousands birds) of Demoiselle Cranes.

Fish ponds in Akzhal. In Akzhal we saw the first in this year Barn Swallows, also in the village there were many Jackdaws, Mynahs, Rooks, Masked Wagtails, one Common Starlings. Ponds are the former fish plants but not working now; some of ponds are with water and grown by reeds, other ones are without water, some ones are half full; some ponds are large; ponds are separated by dams (on which is possible to drive on car) and channels. On the large water-rich ponds there were many Great Crested Grebes, Coots, Black-headed Gulls; the Ducks were less visible. Red-crested Pochards, Ferruginous Ducks, Garganeys, Common Teals, Gadwalls prefer the water-rich but reed-grown ponds. Over the water two dozens of Black Kites soared, sometimes Great Cormorants flew by. In the reed thickets of little ponds quite a often we saw the Moorhens. On the muddy shores several Common Redshanks fed; twice we saw Stilts, once the flock of unidentified Stints, two Little Ringed Plovers, two Green Sandpipers, one Citrine Wagtail. Quite a many Carrion Crows, some of Crows flew off from the nests, other ones were seeking food in the reed thickets. In the coastal zone we watched the Pied Wheatears, Isabelline Wheatears, Chiffchaffs, unidentified Redstart females, Bluethroats, Black-headed Wagtail, flock of Black-throated Thrushes, two Hoopoes, Turkestan Shrikes, Kestrel, twice Sparrowhawks. During a half of hour we listened 3 or 4 Bitterns, but no one of them came out from the reeds. The flock of 5 Curlews flew by.

Kapchagai reservoir at Akzhal is grown by the reed-belt of several tens or even several hundred meters in width. Two Greylag Geese flashed from the reeds. Over the reed-bed many Sand Martins flew. In the reeds the Chiffchaffs sang. Three Shovelers flew by. Also we saw Common Snipes, Stints. On the back road the most interesting were the flock of Ruddy Shelducks at Ostemir and the dark morph Booted Eagle on Kulja road.

1. Demoiselle Cranes (Anthropoides virgo)

2. Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

3. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

4. Common Redshank (Tringa totanus ussuriensis)

5. Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)

6. Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

7. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

8. Turkestan Shrike (Lanius phoenicuroides)

9. Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

10. Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus)